Calix's EXOS OS Integrates Smart Homes

LAS VEGAS -- 2017 Calix Connexions -- This quarter, Calix plans to ship EXOS, an operating system for its GigaFamily home gateways that controls Internet of Things services throughout subscribers' homes.

The OS brings order to the rapidly growing IoT chaos, as consumers buy multiple devices from a variety of vendors. An almost equal number of broadband subscribers have integrated devices -- such as smart door locks, doorbells or smoke detectors -- into their home control systems as have not integrated them, according to a fourth-quarter 2016 survey by Parks Associates.

"Inadequate interoperability options are likely the reason for lack of integration," the report said.

Integration Issues Problematic for Residential Subscribers

(Source: Park Associates)

EXOS creates a native container framework within Calix's customer premises equipment (CPE), and then communicates with software in commercial, off-the-shelf IoT devices. Operators can view connectivity status and add data analysis plus security options. Service providers can then improve customer experience and cut support costs, as well as sell new products or services, such as IoT devices and home security, Calix said.

"WiFi is one thing. It's a challenge. There are some different protocols and speeds, etc., but they're driven by the communications industry. Anybody kept up to speed with the protocols that are being discussed in IoT? You see all sorts of new names: Zigbee, Z-Wave," said Carl Russo, Calix president and CEO, during his Calix Connections keynote. "There are all sorts of new things happening that are designed specifically for classes of IoT devices. But here's the rub. The rub is this is just a set of devices that shows up in the home. If you think managing a shop floor is hard, IoT in the future is the Wild, Wild West. It is a huge challenge but also a huge opportunity."

The new CPE is embedded in various IoT radios in the hardware and also includes direct support for popular home products such as Amazon Alexa and Google's voice assistant. Calix's latest GigaFamily devices support IoT standards, including Zigbee, Z-Wave, HomeKit, Thread, WiFi and Bluetooth. Through EXOS, the radios allow operators to enable service chaining across different protocols. As a result, subscribers can operate multiple devices, regardless of vendor. For example, one motion sensor running through a new GigaFamily gateway could tell both a Z-Wave and Zigbee light bulb to turn on or off.

Residential services are only the start, according to Calix. Enterprises also benefit from integrated IoT gateways, and EXOS, which is "designed to be a white box out of the gate" -- can dwell on the GigaFamily CPE and off-the-shelf, commercial enterprise hardware such as x86 chassis, said Shane Eleniak, vice president of systems products at Calix, Light Reading reported.

The release comes at a time when operators want to leverage their existing relationships with residential customers and subscribers increasingly are cutting the pay-TV cord. But they are plugging in to IoT: The worldwide market for smart home devices will reach $9.4 billion by 2021, up from $3.3 billion at the end of this year, according to IHS Markit.

Deutsche Telekom just signed an infrastructure project with the Gigabit Region Stuttgart, home to 174 municipalities and almost 3 million people, one of many partnerships the German operator has inked in its bid to grow revenue and business.

Mobile and cable operators represented half the managed SD-WAN services market share in this fast-growing space, while other broadband providers such as ISPs and satellite operators also appeared on Vertical Systems Group's ranking.

By slashing subscriber pricing by more than $30 billion annually, Low Earth Orbit satellite companies led by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk as well as OneWeb have the potential to usher in a whole new era of broadband.

In this insightful Light Reading radio show, Kurt Raaflaub, Head of Strategic Solutions Marketing, will outline the key service provider challenges, deployment considerations, next-gen Gigabit technologies, and service models to win market share in the rapidly growing MDU market.

The MDU market continues to face fierce competition among service providers due to tech-savvy residents (i.e., millennials), demand from building owners and management companies, plus the favorable economics of bulk contracts. However, no MDUs are the same, so service providers must use multiple technologies and inconsistent deployment models, increasing operational complexity and rollout costs.

The MDU market itself is evolving as residents adopt smart-home technologies, generating rising demand for smart apartments with built-in connected thermostats, keyless entryways and doors, and video doorbells. This evolution presents both new challenges and opportunities. In other words, service providers must consider innovative service-delivery strategies to compete and win.

In this Broadband World News and ADTRAN webinar, Kurt Raaflaub, Head of Strategic Solutions Marketing, will highlight emerging MDU broadband Internet trends and challenges. In addition, Kurt will outline the next-generation service creation and delivery platform, built on open standards, that allows service providers to connect millions of underserved MDUs, enables creation of user-driven services, and reduces operational complexity and costs.

Plus, special guest, Alice Lawson, Broadband and Cable Program Manager for the City of Seattle, will discuss Seattle’s B4B-Build For Broadband initiative that addresses best practices in planning for MDU telecommunication infrastructure.